The tax bill passed by the Senate opens the door to oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge after nearly 40 years of bipartisan support for protecting one of America’s last pristine, untouched landscapes.

Early this morning the U.S. Senate voted down an amendment to strike from the Republican tax bill a provision that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In response, The Wilderness Society issued the following statement from its president, Jamie Williams:

The 2018 Senate Interior Appropriations bill would eliminate protection for roadless areas in Southeast Alaska’s Tongass National Forest (our nation’s largest national forest) and the spectacular Chugach National Forest near Anchorage.